I Believe You
by 2queens1prince
Summary: A one shot lilacmermaid prompt based on Elizabeth being worried that Henry would believe her (full prompt is at the end of the story).


AN: Happy almost 4th of July (for the US contingency). I have a few things in the wings that I'll be publishing over the next few weeks and I have a multi-chapter that I think is nearing completion, so you may be seeing it soon. This is just a one shot, based on a lilacmermaid prompt. I hope you enjoy it (even though it isn't seasonally appropriate).

Henry rose from the couch. "Anybody need anything?" he asked over his shoulder as he moved toward the kitchen.

"Beer!" the men in the living room called out as Henry pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen. He headed out onto the screened in porch and grabbed four bottles from the cooler. Stepping back across the threshold, he actually looked around the room. His grandmother sat at the table, quietly, peeling potatoes, his sisters were standing at the counter making some sort of salad and his mother had her head nearly stuck inside the oven, checking on the turkey.

"Where's Elizabeth?" he asked. The girls shrugged, his hard of hearing grandmother didn't acknowledge him and his mom said something that was lost in the oven.

When she stood, Henry looked at her expectantly. "Oh, I think she went upstairs." Henry frowned. This was the first Thanksgiving that Elizabeth had spent at the McCord's and he knew she desperately wanted to fit in. He was surprised that she would retreat without letting him know. Henry looked over and eyed his sister, Maureen, who was notoriously for saying offensive things.

Without even turning to face Henry, said, "I said nothing, so don't even." She let the rest of the threat hang unspoken. Henry shook his head and left the kitchen. After handing out the bottles to his family in the living room, he headed up the stairs and knocked softly on his bedroom door. When there was no answer, he opened the door and slipped inside closing it behind him.

Elizabeth sat on the end of his twin bed staring at her lap. "Babe? What's wrong?" Concern filled Henry's voice and Elizabeth quickly pushed her hurt feelings aside and plastered a smile on.

"Nothing. Just a little tired is all." She looked up and let him study her, confident that she could mask her true emotions. She could fool anyone. She was surprised when he knelt down in front of her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, a little too quickly, and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I see right through it Elizabeth. This front you put up doesn't work with me. You're upset about something."

"_Shit,"_ she muttered internally. "_There's a definite downside to Henry knowing me so well."_ She decided to ignore that altogether. "Really, there's nothing going on. I'm fine. Go on down and finish watching the game. I'll be down in a few minutes."

Henry sighed and stood, towering over her as she hunched at the end of the bed. "You know a relationship works better if both parties trust one another enough to let their true feelings be known." He turned and walked out.

"Not when you wouldn't believe me," she whispered into the empty room. Taking several slow deep breaths, she stood, set her jaw, squared her shoulders and walked back downstairs. Entering the kitchen she smiled her brightest smile and offered to help Henry's mom. She spent the next couple of hours doing menial tasks listening to Henry's mom and sisters mostly talked around her and never to her. She focused on arranging the vegetables she'd cut into a sectioned relish tray when she heard it murmured again. "Queen Elizabeth."

She kept her head down and swallowed hard, pushing past the lump in her throat. It would have been bad enough if it had come from Maureen. Maureen seemed to dislike her instantly, so it would have still hurt, but it wouldn't have been surprising. But, it didn't come from Maureen or Henry's other sister, Erin. It came from Henry's mom, which was devastating. Carol McCord looked so much like Henry, with her wavy caramel colored hair and deep brown eyes. She had kind eyes, like Henry, so Elizabeth thought she would be like Henry, but she was wrong. Carol had been very friendly when they met, but as Elizabeth and Henry grew closer and it became apparent that Elizabeth wasn't going anywhere, Carol's demeanor had changed.

Elizabeth froze, holding a handful of celery over the tray. She was afraid that if she moved, she would break down. She'd wanted so much for Henry's mom to like her, for the whole family really, but especially Henry's mom. He loved his mom so much and had only good things to say about her. He wouldn't be able to comprehend that she would say things that were hurtful to his girlfriend. He probably wouldn't even believe it. Henry might think that she was trying to create a rift between him and his mom. She knew of jealous girlfriends who did things like that. If he found out, would he think that?

The scrape of the chair across the floor snapped Elizabeth from her thoughts. Henry's grandmother Annaliese, who had been sitting in the chair, quietly doing simple tasks the entire time, placed her hand over Elizabeth's, making her drop the celery. "Elizabeth and I are going outside," she announced loudly. Carol and the girls turned from their work on the opposite side of the kitchen, seemingly shocked to find the other women there.

Elizabeth took the older woman by the elbow and helped her across the room and out the door. Annaliese sat down in the cushioned chair and pointed to a group of throw pillows propped up on a long bench at the end of the deck. "Reach back there." Elizabeth gave the woman a confused look and but did as she was told and laughed when she pulled a wine bottle from the mass of brightly colored pillows.

"I say it's Thanksgiving and we should drink," Annaliese said.

"We don't have a bottle opener," Elizabeth said loudly, looking through the kitchen window at the women who were chatting with each other. She desperately did not want to go back in there, especially to get a corkscrew so she could drink contraband wine with Grandma Annaliese.

"First, I'm not deaf. My hearing aids work just fine, but it's a great excuse to just ignore people. And, second, I've got one," she said producing the implement from the pocket of her floral housecoat. "If you're going to do something, do it right."

Elizabeth smiled, genuinely this time. That was unexpected. Annaliese handed the opener to Elizabeth who popped the cork and then looked around for something to pour the wine in. Annaliese smirked and took the bottle, tipping it up. After a long drink, she handed it back. "The Queen isn't too good to drink from the bottle, is she?"

"Hardly." Elizabeth shook her head sadly before she took the bottle and drank. Sitting it on the floor between them, she stared off across the yard.

"She does it because she's jealous of you," Annaliese said. "Carol is a good person, but she's always been the jealous type. She knows that she's no longer the most important woman in Henry's life and she's acting out."

Elizabeth was surprised that Annaliese would speak that way about her daughter. She looked up and made eye contact. "She's my kid, but she's not a saint. We all have times when we don't show our best side." Annaliese shrugged. "This happens to be Carol's. Try to hang in there. Carol will come around. Eventually."

Elizabeth picked up the bottle and took another long drink. "I just hoped it would be different. I guess I just wanted this family to like me a little too much."

Annaliese reached out and Elizabeth handed over the bottle. They sat in silence taking turns drinking until the wine was gone and Henry stepped out on the porch. He studied the two of them, both looking a little glassy-eyed after downing the wine. "Erin said you two were out here getting drunk." Elizabeth wasn't sure if he was angry about it or not.

Annaliese waved Henry over. "Help an old woman up, will you?" Henry quickly moved to her and helped her stand. "You stay here and spend some time with your girl. She needs some TLC." She winked and shuffled inside the house, leaving Henry and Elizabeth alone.

Henry sat down in the spot formerly occupied by his grandmother. "Will you sit with me?" he asked. Elizabeth looked over at the spot that had a direct line of sight into the kitchen. She didn't need to add fuel to the fire by purposely letting Carol see them sit together.

She stood. "Sit here," she said, moving from her chair near the corner of the porch. Henry gave her a funny look. "I just don't want to give your mom anymore reason to not like me."

Henry's brows knitted together, forming deep lines in his forehead. "Why would you say that? Mom likes you." He moved to her spot anyway and she sat on his lap, wrapping an arm around his neck, resting her chin on the top of his head.

"Nevermind. It's not a big deal." Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed.

Henry let her stay like that for a few minutes before pushing her back so he could look at her. "Will you please tell me what happened?" Elizabeth didn't say anything. "Do I need to go ask Grandma? She obviously knows."

"Your mom keeps referring to me as Queen Elizabeth," she mumbled. "She's nice to my face, but says it behind my back."

Henry sat in shock. "Surely you misunderstood?" he said.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me. I shouldn't have said anything. Just forget it. It's nothing. I probably did misunderstand." She stood quickly and moved to the edge of the porch. With her lips pursed into a tight line, Elizabeth closed her eyes and focused on breathing, pushing the hurt down, willing the tears to stay unshed.

Henry was behind her in an instant. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her, holding her against his body. "Hey," he murmured. "I never said I didn't believe you. It's more like I just don't understand. I'll talk to her and figure out-"

"NO!" Elizabeth squirmed away, turning to face him. "That's the last thing I want you to do. Then I'll just be a cry baby, tattletale in addition to being queen." She gave him a pointed look. "Please don't say anything. It will just make it worse." The wine she'd had was starting to wear off, dismantling her alcohol induced armour. She thought about how bad it might get if Henry took issue with his mother and she whispered, "Please. Don't."

Henry saw the worry in her eyes. "I promise." He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Let's go in. Dinner is probably close to being ready."

The evening passed and no more was said. When Elizabeth woke the next morning, Henry was missing from the twin bed they chose to cram themselves in, rather than one sleeping on the floor. She ran her hand along the window sill feeling for her watch. Bringing it close to her face, she saw that it was nearly 11 am. "_How did I sleep so late?_" she wondered.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and put her glasses on. She had just tugged her sweatshirt over her head when there was a soft knock at the door. "Come in." She figured it was Shane since he usually slept in this room when the McCords didn't have guests. Her eyes went wide when she saw that it was Carol.

"Do you mind if I speak with you for a few minutes?" she asked. Elizabeth just stared at her a moment before speaking.

"Sure." She scooted back toward the wall and tucked the sheets around her. She was at least wearing shorts, but they were very short and it wouldn't take a genius to realize that no one had been sleeping on the floor. "_Thank God I'm not naked."_

"Henry took me out for breakfast this morning," Carol started.

_Oh God."_ Elizabeth's stomach rolled. "_He said he wasn't going to say anything."_ She forced a smile. "That's nice. I'm glad you two had some time together." They were silent for a long while, each not knowing what to say.

"Are you?" Carol asked finally.

"Am I what?" Elizabeth had let her mind wander down the rabbit hole of what Henry might have told his mother and she wasn't sure if there had been a preceding question that she'd missed.

"Are you glad Henry spent time with me?" Carol bristled.

"Well, yeah. When we come up, it's kind of crazy around here and doesn't always lend itself to quiet conversation." Elizabeth shrugged. "I know recently he's been busy and hasn't had the chance to call as much. He misses talking to you."

Carol seemed surprised. Elizabeth felt the window of opportunity open, so she pressed. "Henry loves you very much. I see how close the two of you are and I know what it feels like to have that ripped away. I would never do that to Henry. Or you."

Elizabeth watched as Carol sat unmoving, wondering what was going through her head. "Okay then." Carol stood and moved toward the door. "By the way, you shouldn't let Mom drink too much wine. She gets loose lipped and doles out lectures left and right. I don't appreciate being on the receiving end of those." She paused. "Even if I sometimes need to hear them." Carol left the bedroom, leaving Elizabeth scratching her head at what had happened. Was that supposed to be an apology or just an acknowledgement of what had happened? She wasn't sure.

Elizabeth climbed out of bed, got dressed and headed downstairs. She fixed herself a leftover turkey sandwich and chips and joined Henry on the couch. He leaned in and kissed her. "So you had breakfast?" Henry realized her question had nothing to do with breakfast.

"Yeah, we had a nice talk." Then he whispered, "And no, I didn't say anything. Though I wanted to."

"It's alright. She came up and talked to me. I think we might be okay." Henry looked surprised. "Evidently Grandma set her straight."

Henry laughed. "Grandma does that." There was more he wanted to say, but Shane walked in from the kitchen and plopped down on the couch next to them. "Can we take a walk later?"

A few hours later, Elizabeth found herself walking on the riverfront, yesterday's unseasonably warm temperatures a thing of the past. She shivered under her wool coat and Henry wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. They walked without speaking for a great distance, thankful for the quiet after spending a few days in the middle of the McCord family chaos.

Henry broke the silence with a long sigh. "Yesterday, you said something that caught me off guard, and the more I think about it, the more bothered I am by it."

Elizabeth let go of him and turned so she could see his face. "What?" She wracked her brain, trying to come up with anything offensive she might have said, but came up empty.

"When you told me about what Mom said, you said that you didn't think I'd believe you. And I can't figure out what I have done that would make you ever think that."

"Oh." Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably. "I just know how close you are to your mom and-" She stopped to think a moment. "I just figured if it came down to her or me, you'd choose her." She shrugged, her head down.

Henry was stunned. "We've been together over a year and you think it's a competition?"

"No,* Elizabeth snapped, stepping away. "It wasn't like that." Burying her head in her hands, she tried to make sense of what she was feeling enough to put it into words. "I just," she started. "I didn't want you to have to choose. I didn't want to be that kind of girlfriend-the one that starts all kinds of drama and somehow there gets to be this rift, either between you and your family or you and me. It's just not worth it."

"So instead, you're willing to allow someone to continue to do and say hurtful things and you just swallow it all and don't say a word?" Henry was having trouble understanding.

"To keep the peace in your family and allow me to continue to be part of it? Yep. Without a doubt. Every single time," she said adamantly. Henry just shook his head. The Elizabeth he fell for was so strong and confident. He'd seen her tear people apart for making condescending comments either about her or others. Yet, in this case, she not only allowed it, she seemed to accept it. He didn't get it.

"Henry, it's true, that your family is rough around the edges. They're loud and they aren't careful about how they use their words, but they love fiercely, and I just want to be part of it in whatever way they allow. If I get mad and take some big stand, I've sealed my fate. They will never let me in, and I just want to be part of your world-a McCord-good or bad, whatever it entails."

Henry kissed her gently and then chuckled. "That's very noble, because half the time, I don't want to be a McCord."

Turning serious, he said, "I love you and please don't ever think that I won't believe you. I will, no matter what." He pecked her one more time before taking her hand and walked them back to the car.

Riding back to the house, Henry took Elizabeth's hand and squeezed it. "You really think things are going to be better with you and Mom?"

"Yeah, I think so." She grinned. "But your father and Maureen, that's a whole different story."

Madam Secretary Prompt: Elizabeth has a secret, but it's not Henry being angry or upset that worries her - it's that he's not going to believe her at all. (Or vice versa).


End file.
